Children's Vision

Some Facts Every Parent Should Know...

Fact: Vision accounts for 80% of learning in the
first 12 years of a child's life.Fact: One in six children has visual problems that
restrict learning. Many visual problems go undetected because parents
unknowingly assume a report of 20/20 is an indication of "perfect" vision. The
fact is that 20/20 is only a measure of sharpness of eyesight and says nothing
about many other dynamic vision skills, such as eye coordination, which are
necessary for attentiveness while reading.

Fact: Because young children know only what they
see and not what they are supposed to see, it is especially difficult for them
to recognize that they have a vision-related problem. Children tend to think
that everyone sees the world exactly as they do... and they don't complain of
symptoms in many cases, including blurry vision, poor eye-hand coordination, or
losing their place while reading.

Fact: Parents and teachers can and should have an
active role in the visual development of a child, looking for specific symptoms
and encouraging development.

To assist parents and teachers who wish to become active in children's visual
development, Azman Eye Care Specialists has prepared this guide to provide
enough information about visual development that will allow you to make educated
observations, and know when and how to help each child. We welcome and encourage
your questions!

Parents Play Key Role in Development of Child's Vision Skills

A Time For Development
During a child's toddler and preschool years, he or she will be exploring the
world-- crawling, reaching, climbing, walking, and searching the world with eyes
and hands.

All of this exploration plays a significant role in the ultimate development
and refinement of his or her vision skills. But will these vision skills be
ready for learning? How do you find out? How do you help to further the
development of these vision skills?

What You Should Do...

Have your child's eyes examined by a pediatric optometrist or by a behavioral
optometrist, by age 3.

Be alert to your child's visual behavior. Look for signs that may indicate a
vision problem:

a short visual concentration and attention span

clumsy movements; falls or bumps into things

crosses one or both eyes

awkward posture while working at the table or desk

unable to locate and pick up small objects

has red, watery, or puffy eyelids

rubs eyes or complains that they hurt

avoids drawing, cutting puzzles, or other visual tasks

"...But he doesn't read letters yet"

Reading letters is NOT necessary for a thorough pediatric eye exam.
State-of-the-art diagnostic equipment allows the doctor to evaluate the child's
vision and eye health even before he or she can read letters. Even the eyes of
infants can be safely examined by using drops, special lights, and other
techniques to determine how the eyes are focusing.

Not Just Any Eye Exam

Dr. Irwin Azman is our staff specialist in pediatric and
behavioral vision. He tests each child to determine eye health and visual
skills. Such testing is done with and without dilating drops.

Eye Health & Dilation

Dilating drops are used to aid in the examination of the internal structures
of the eyes, to rule out possible medical problems. Evaluation with dilating
drops allows for diagnosis of such eye problems as amblyopia, progressive myopia
(nearsightedness), cataract, glaucoma, retinal problems that may exist with
children.

Beyond 20/20: Visual Skills

During the vision testing part of the exam, after clarity of vision or
visual acuity is determined, Dr. Azman tests further for many other
dynamic vision skills. First is evaluation for nearsightedness,
farsightedness, astigmatism, crossed-eyes (strabismus), lazy eye (amblyopia),
eye tracking, accommodation (focus change), and other eye coordination
skills. Second are tests for other dynamic skills which may affect eye-hand
coordination, depth perception, and causes of visual attention dysfunction.

We make every effort to ensure that the first examination is a positive
experience for your child by providing a comfortable, child-friendly office.
Children's movies, such as Goofy and Yogi Bear, are frequently utilized to help
tailor the examination to the preschooler.

First Visit

With regard to that first visit, here are a few suggestions:

Schedule an appointment for early in the day, allowing approximately an hour.

Discuss naturally the experience and encourage your child's questions. If
asked, assure your child that he/she will be accompanied by you during the
examination.

Bring a medical history, including any complications of pregnancy or
childbirth, along with your pediatrician's name and address.

Compile a list of any unusual observations you have made regarding your
child's visual development.